Widespread Panic has been together going on 30 years. Formed by original members
vocalist/guitarist John "JB" Bell, bassist Dave Schools and late guitarist Michael
Houser, who lived together in a suburban house in Athens, GA, where they met as
students not far from the University of Georgia campus, later to be joined by drummer
Todd Nance. Shortly after that, the band's line-up was solidified with the addition of
percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz and keyboard player John "JoJo" Hermann.

Formed in the tradition of the great southern guitar blues bands, with an improvisatory
ethos, Widespread Panic continue to explore a sound all its own on the band's 12th
album, Street Dogs, their first studio effort since 2010's Dirty Side Down. When asked
to describe Street Dogs, Widespread Panic's debut album on Vanguard Records, JB
references the way Dr. John describes the music scene in New Orleans as "a gumbo of
musical influences.” JB cites Van Morrison and George Carlin as influences while Dave
(Grateful Dead/Miles Davis), Mike (Emerson Lake and Palmer), Todd (Steely Dan),
Sunny (Tito Puente), JoJo (classically trained with a love for Professor Longhair) and
Jimmy (Beatles/ Mahavishnu Orchestra) all bring something different to the table.
"Above all, after nearly thirty years together, we are arguably each other's greatest
influence,” JB concludes.

That eclectic approach includes the funky New Orleans flavor of "Sell Sell,” their cover
of The Animals keyboardist Alan Price's song from the soundtrack of the 1973 Malcolm
McDowell film O Lucky Man!, and the playful nod to a missing feline in the gentle progrock
of "Steven's Cat,” written and recorded in a single day in the studio. Guitarist
Jimmy Herring – who joined the band eight years and three albums ago -- makes his
presence felt with the jazzy feel set against a psychedelic mellotron and the ethereal
choir in "Angels Don't Sing the Blues.” Sunny Ortiz' and Duane Truck's percussive
interplay on the track creates a driving foundation that seamlessly shifts to a shuffle
feel, then six/four time, allowing the song to land gently back to Earth. Herring also
coaxes a bluesy harp sound in the honky-tonk barrelhouse of Hermann's "Poorhouse of
Positive Thinking,” the keyboardist's tongue-in-cheek paean to the pleasures and
pitfalls of alcohol. "Jamais Vu (The World Has Changed),” a song dedicated to the
memory of a crew member's passing, finds JB exuding a soulful growl, while the band
pays its debts to the delta blues with a rollicking cover of Canadian singer-songwriter
Murray McLauchlan's "Honky Red,” a song Dave's father once recorded and shared
with the band and an outsized take on Howlin' Wolf's "Tail Dragger.”

"We tried to keep the songs as live as possible, with a minimum of overdubs,”
explained JB about the sessions with longtime producer John Keane at Asheville, NC's
Echo Mountain Studios. "That gave us some of that grit and spontaneity. We recorded
as a band, playing together, rather than individual parts. They might not all be first
takes, but most were done in a single take. We approached it in an anti-factory way,
looking to create our own fun, to have our own unique experience. It's not
homogenized.”

That can be heard on the closing "Street Dogs for Breakfast,” a shaggy-dog countryblues
that has a laid back sing-along, quality while "Cease Fire,” with its tribal
percussion and bluesy guitars, addresses not only external warfare but the conflicts
within, as the closing majestic Herring guitar solo embodies the smooth transition from
words to a calming spirit of reconciliation.

JB says the band, true road warriors, continue to explore those happy accidents in the
studio. "We wanted to capture that on-stage spontaneity,” says JB, the band having
released a pair of live acoustic albums since their last studio release. "We tried to find
that place where everybody is familiar with the material, but loose enough to have that
element of discovery. The entire band was together in the studio every day, which was
a first for us. The songs are created among us, individually and collectively, based on
what's going through our subconscious at the time. Every song is a different
experience. We try to sequence those tracks in a way that lets the album flow.”

With next year marking three decades since forming their original line-up in 1986,
Widespread Panic is still hungry to be the best band they can be, every single night, for
their loyal fan base. Their accomplishments over that time are well-documented.
During their impressive, now 30-year run, the band has released 12 studio albums
(including Street Dogs) and 43 live albums, selling more than 3 million copies as one of
the most successful touring acts in the world. Widespread Panic has broken
attendance records at major venues throughout the country, including a staggering 48
sold-out shows at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. A banner hangs in
the rafters at Philips Arena in Atlanta where the band has 18 sellouts, with records also
set at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, Oak Mountain Amphitheater near Birmingham,
AL and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival where Panic has headlined eight
times, breaking the single day attendance record with 63,000. The band has headlined
most of the major U.S. festivals, including Bonnaroo (eight times), Lollapalooza, Austin
City Limits, Lockn' Music Festival, Outside Lands Music Festival, Forecastle Festival,
Phases of the Moon, Rothbury Festival, All Good Music Festival, Gathering of the
Vibes and many more. To commemorate Widespread Panic's 25th anniversary in
2011, the State of Georgia's Senate and House of Representatives passed resolutions
honoring the group for their music, service, charity and longevity, while they were also
inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

"We acknowledge this is a milestone few groups get to achieve,” admits JB about their
remarkable longevity. "It's like Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea. Every time we go
out there, we learn more tricks, bring that knowledge with us, and then apply it. We're
way more experienced, focused and to the point, but still willing to stretch out without
wandering too much.”

Street Dogs represents just that… a blend of veteran musicianship and the ability to
keep things sounding fresh at the same time. "Doing this right, you're more a reporter,
a conduit, than a creator,” says JB. "We're really just discovering something that's
already there. Our creative bank is still open, and they're handing out free money.”
JB says the band is energized by having been in the studio, and are "...excited to play
these new songs live and see where they take us… and the audience.”

"Crack yourself open and stuff will keep coming out of you,” he says, concluding with
one of his patented JB-isms, even if this one is from his grandfather, another JB. "He
told me, ‘Remember to keep an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out.'”
That's as good a description of the way to approach Widespread Panic's latest album
as any.